The validity of male patients' self reports regarding prostate cancer screening

Background. Despite the high rate of prostate cancer screening, the accurac y of male patients' self-reports of screening has not been investigated. Th is study assessed the concordance between patients' self-reports of prostat e screening and the medical record. Methods. Focus groups were conducted to obtain male patients' perceptions o f prostate cancer screening and salient terminology. A sample of males (n = 276), 40 years of age or older, completed a 15-item questionnaire. Patient s' self-reports of PSA and DRE screening were then compared with medical re cords. Results. Results showed that patients' self-reports of DRE and PSA were dis cordant with the medical record 32 and 29% of the time, respectively. Sensi tivity of patients' self-reports for DRE and PSA was 82 and 74%, respective ly. Specificity of patients' self-reports for DRE and PSA was 56 and 65%, r espectively. One in five patients reported that they were not sure how a do ctor checks a man's prostate gland. Only 39% of patients knew that the pros tate gland can be checked by a blood test. Conclusions. There were significant differences between patients' self-repo rts and the medical record. The results should be of concern to primary car e practitioners and to those who evaluate the efficacy of prostate cancer s creening programs. (C)1999 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.